Gastly confessed honestly again, "I only know Hypnosis; my other moves are just half-baked."
"You're being modest," Roy said.
"It's not modesty, it's the truth." Gastly spread its hands. "I've lived a long time, but living long doesn't mean I can fight. Those true ancient combat-type Pokemon could crush me even if they'd only lived for a few hundred years."
"Hypnosis is the only thing I have that's presentable; other times, I just scare people."
Roy looked at it.
"Your Hypnosis is more than just 'presentable.'"
Gastly froze.
"To be able to make a Pokemon feel as if they are there, falling into the most realistic nightmare illusion," Roy said emphatically, "that kind of strength can directly decide the outcome on a League battlefield."
Gastly blinked.
"Ah? Is it really that impressive?"
As it spoke, it started laughing first, its mist floating a bit more cheerfully.
"Hahaha! I don't know about the tricks you humans pull nowadays." Gastly scratched its head. "Anyway, in ancient times, Pokemon were used for war."
It paused, and its mist grew heavy.
"It was a matter of life and death back then..."
Roy didn't ask for details.
The Thousand-Year Gastly's mist drifted slowly, as if it were lost in memory.
"There were no rules on the battlefield, no referees, and no surrendering."
"The winners lived, and the losers died."
"Many Pokemon died in those wars, and many others died because humans forcibly boosted their power, overdrawing their life force."
"That's why I don't like fighting."
Gastly looked up and grinned, returning to its carefree self.
"Scaring people is much better. Making them scream their heads off doesn't actually hurt anyone."
"I don't have to risk my life or get hurt."
"It's so much more relaxing."
Roy listened quietly until it finished.
"Alright," he said. "Then I won't force you."
Gastly nodded with a grin.
"I still have to thank you," Roy stood up straight. "I keep my promises, and you've explained so much to me this time."
"I'm leaving."
He turned around, and Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder.
He had only taken two steps.
"Hey, wait!" Gastly's voice chased after him from behind.
Roy looked back.
Gastly was floating in mid-air, rummaging through its mist for something.
"Considering you spent so much money..." it muttered, "I'll give you something else."
A cloud of mist floated in front of Roy.
The mist dissipated, revealing a small bell lying inside.
It was bronze-colored, about the size of a thumb, with faint patterns engraved on its surface.
Roy took it and examined it for a few seconds.
"Isn't this the same warding bell you used to scam people?"
"Hehe, it's different." Gastly shook its head proudly. "This is the real deal."
It leaned in closer.
"I've infused it with a special power."
"If you call me using this bell—shake it three times—I'll be able to sense it and appear before you instantly."
Gastly smiled slyly, having its own calculations. Seeing Roy's generosity, it wanted to secure a long-term client to solve its food and drink needs.
"If you need help in the future, you can find me with the bell."
"Since you're an old customer, I'll give you a twenty percent discount on all future favors."
"How's that?"
Roy looked at it, his lips curling slightly.
This old thing was quite clever.
He weighed the bell in his hand.
"Fine, I'll take it."
Gastly's eyes crinkled into crescents.
Roy tucked the bell into his waist pouch.
Even though he couldn't capture this Thousand-Year Gastly, having a powerful helper was a win no matter how you looked at it.
It couldn't participate in official battles, but that Hypnosis... Roy had experienced it firsthand, and so had Pikachu.
It could drag an opponent directly into the most terrifying nightmare.
If this ability were used at a critical moment... Roy's eyes flickered.
There would surely be a time for it in the future.
"By the way." He looked up at Gastly. "I'm not exactly wealthy; twenty percent off is still expensive for me."
Gastly chuckled. "It's fine, it's fine. My prices are very fair."
Roy laughed in spite of himself.
"Alright then, Fair Old Ghost."
Gastly floated happily at the doorway, seeing him off down the mountain.
"Come back again soon, kid!"
"We'll see."
"Remember to keep the bell with you!"
"Mm."
The figures of the man and the mouse disappeared at the end of the forest path.
Gastly floated in the air, watching that direction for a good while before slowly drifting back into the house.
"Making money, making money! Which haunted house should I go experience today?" it muttered to itself, laughing mischievously... Roy's steps were light as he headed down the mountain.
Pikachu sat on his shoulder, its tail swishing back and forth.
"Pika pi?"
(Is that bell useful?)
Roy patted his waist pouch.
"The Thousand-Year Gastly has lived for over a millennium; it should be somewhat useful."
"If it says it can appear instantly, then it definitely can. I'll just have to test it later."
Roy was calculating in his mind that if he encountered a Pokemon that was hard to catch in the future, he could ring the bell.
He'd let the Thousand-Year Gastly use Hypnosis to drag the opponent into a nightmare illusion.
Even if it only lasted for a dozen seconds, it should be enough to decide the match... When he returned to Jenny's courtyard, Roy was still thinking about how to use the bell.
Then he noticed something was off.
It was too quiet.
The courtyard was empty.
The living room doors and windows were half-closed, and no movement could be seen inside.
Roy's brow furrowed slightly.
Pikachu's ears perked up, its electric sacs flickering with a faint light.
"Pika?"
Roy raised his hand, signaling it to be quiet.
He lightened his steps and walked toward the main door.
Just as his hand touched the doorframe.
"Welcome home, Lord Roy!!"
Three voices exploded in unison!
The door was slammed open from the inside!
Roy's vision blurred for a moment, and then he froze on the spot.
Jenny.
Delia.
Misty.
The three of them stood side-by-side in the entryway, all wearing miko outfits.
And they weren't just ordinary miko outfits.
They were the kind that... were clearly modified and extremely shrunken.
Jenny stood on the far left.
She was usually heroic and efficient in her police uniform, but changing into the white and red miko attire gave her a sense of solemn, inviolable holiness.
The problem was that the clothes were clearly two sizes too small.
The white top was tightly stretched across her body, outlining full and rounded curves, with the neckline plunging very low, revealing a glimpse of her snowy cleavage.
It wasn't obvious when she wore her uniform, but now that the form-fitting fabric wrapped around her, her impressive proportions almost threatened to burst through the lapels.
The red skirt below was absurdly short, barely covering the tops of her thighs.
Her straight, slender legs were completely exposed to the air, with tight and smooth muscle lines—legs developed from years of patrolling and chasing, powerful, well-proportioned, and full of healthy beauty.
Jenny's face was slightly flushed, but she forced herself to maintain eye contact with Roy.
Her fists were clenched at her sides, her knuckles slightly pale.
She was clearly nervous to death.
Delia stood in the middle.
She was already gentle by nature, and the miko outfit added a touch of ethereal softness. Her long hair was down, and the white collar and red skirt made her skin look like snow.
But her clothes were also noticeably small.
The fabric over her chest was stretched taut, rising and falling slightly with her breath, and the delicate patch of white at the neckline was so dazzling one couldn't look away. Her slender waist was cinched even tighter by the belt, as if it would break with a bit of force.
The red skirt was even shorter than Jenny's.
The tops of her snowy thighs were faintly visible, and further up... wonderful~
Delia's face was slightly red, her eyelashes lowered as she didn't dare look at him, her fingers twisting together until the tips turned red.
Yet she didn't hide.
She just stood there in front of him, letting him look.
Misty stood on the far right.
She was the youngest and had a more slender build, but the miko outfit suited her unexpectedly well.
It wasn't Jenny's full-bodied sexiness.
Nor was it Delia's gentle softness.
It was a youthful, budding charm of a girl desperately trying to prove she had grown up.
Her clothes weren't actually that much smaller.
But because she had tied the belt so tightly, it made her chest bulge slightly, showing off curves she didn't usually have.
The red skirt barely covered the base of her legs, and her long legs were pressed tightly together, her toes curling nervously inside her wooden sandals.
Misty also didn't dare look at Roy.
She stared at her toes, her cheeks crimson, even the tips of her ears dyed pink.
But her body leaned forward honestly, as if waiting for something... Roy stood there, the corners of his mouth subconsciously turning up... Roy stood there, his mouth curling up.
He hadn't even spoken yet.
The three women had already followed their rehearsed routine, holding hands and starting to spin in a circle to show off.
Jenny was pulled by Delia and Misty on either side as the three of them turned together.
The red and white skirts flared out like flowers.
And then, Roy saw it clearly.
The flaws of these miko outfits were completely exposed the moment they spun.
When Delia turned, the red skirt flew up, revealing more than half of her snowy buttocks.
She was wearing light pink lace today, and the thin material couldn't cover much at all.
Her front was even more exaggerated.
The low neckline was already on the verge of bursting, and with this spin, her fullness almost escaped the fabric.
Misty wasn't much better off.
Her skirt was short, and as she spun, it flipped right up to her waist; what was underneath was clearly changed specifically for today.
Jenny had it the worst.
She had no idea the clothes had such major gaps.
The moment the red skirt flared up, there was black lace, and it was hollowed out.
That wasn't even the most lethal part.
The most lethal part was that the fabric was too thin.
Jenny didn't notice at all.
She was still trying to maintain a smile, spinning along with Delia and Misty's rhythm.
One turn.
Two turns.
The three women came to a stop together, striking a final pose.
Delia smiled gently, Misty's eyes crinkled, and Jenny tried to look composed.
Then they saw Roy's expression.
It wasn't amazement.
It was the kind that was... holding back a laugh, seeing through everything, and deeply meaningful.
The three women looked down at the same time.
Delia saw her wide-open chest.
Misty saw her flipped-up skirt.
Jenny looked back and saw herself completely exposed to the air... the air froze for three seconds.
"Ahhh!!!"
Three screams exploded simultaneously!
Jenny pulled down the hem of the miko outfit with lightning speed, her face burning like it was on fire.
Delia hurriedly covered her chest, the tips of her ears turning deep red.
Misty covered her bottom with both hands and rushed into the house.
The three of them scrambled back to the room.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Roy stood there, looking at the closed door, and spoke slowly.
"It's fine for Jenny to scream since she's not familiar with this."
He paused.
"Delia and Misty... what are you screaming for?"
"We're all companions who know each other inside and out, hehehe..."
...After a good while.
The door opened again.
The three women had changed back into normal miko outfits.
The necklines were normal, the skirts reached their knees, and the fabric was solid.
But the flush on their faces hadn't completely faded.
Jenny kept her head down, her ear tips still pink, and didn't dare look at Roy at all.
Delia held her hand, whispering comfort.
Misty puffed out her cheeks and glared at Roy.
"You—you saw everything just now, didn't you!"
Roy nodded honestly.
Misty's face turned even redder.
"Then why didn't you say something sooner!"
"You guys were spinning too fast."
Misty was choked up.
Delia sighed softly and walked up to Roy.
"Actually... we didn't look closely at those clothes."
Her voice was soft and laced with shame.
"The three of us went to buy them together."
Roy gave an 'mm' and waited for her to continue.
Delia twisted her fingers.
"We picked two sets at the time. One was this set, the normal one. And the other was the one from just now..."
"The packaging was similar, and we didn't open it to look closely."
She paused.
"Then Misty said you'd definitely like that set."
Misty stomped her foot nearby. "Sister Delia! Why did you tell him everything!"
Delia ignored her and continued with a red face.
"The shop assistant's eyes lit up when she heard that."
"She asked Misty if it was for her boyfriend."
"Misty said yes."
"She then asked me... if I was your woman too?"
Delia's voice grew quieter.
"I nodded."
Roy looked at her.
Delia's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't avoid his gaze.
"Then the shop assistant smiled and recommended that set."
"She said this set looks better and that you'd definitely have a reaction and smile and praise us."
Misty added in a small voice from the side, "She also said many couples buy this set..."
Delia nodded.
"We saw the packaging was similar to the normal set, so we didn't think much of it and just bought it."
"We had just finished changing into that set and were about to change into the normal one to show you when you came back."
"We thought since we were already wearing it, we'd give you a surprise..."
She couldn't go on.
Roy finished listening.
His mouth slowly curled into a smile.
"So, you did it on purpose?"
The three women shook their heads in unison.
Then they all paused.
It seemed... they couldn't say it was entirely unintentional.
Roy looked at them, his smile deepening.
"Mm, very good."
The three women were stunned.
"Very beautiful."
He said it emphatically.
Delia bit her lip.
Misty turned her face away.
The flush that had just faded from Jenny's face flared up again.
Misty finally couldn't help it and lunged over to pound on Roy's shoulder.
"Oh, stop it~! You big pervert, don't say any more!!"
Her strength was soft; she didn't put any force into it.
"Look at how embarrassed Jenny is!"
Roy followed her gaze.
Jenny stood there, her face as red as a cooked shrimp.
She was a dignified police officer who never lagged behind in patrols or arrests, yet now she was like a suspect caught red-handed, not knowing where to put her hands or feet.
Her mind was filled with the images from just now.
He saw it.
He saw everything.
Jenny wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Delia walked over and gently took her hand.
Misty also let go of Roy and came over.
"Sister Jenny, it's okay..."
"We were seen too..."
Jenny didn't say anything, only gripping Delia's hand tightly in return.
Roy didn't tease them anymore.
He turned and walked toward the living room.
"Aren't we supposed to go shopping this afternoon?"
The three women looked at each other.
Delia was the first to smile.
Misty pulled on Jenny.
"Let's go, let's go, Sister Jenny, let's go shopping!"
Jenny took a deep breath.
She slowly started to walk... In the afternoon at Maiden Gorge, the Summer Festival atmosphere was still thick.
Colorful lanterns hung along both sides of the street, and stalls were lined up one after another: takoyaki, candy apples, goldfish scooping, and shooting games.
Tourists bustled between them, and it was incredibly lively.
Roy walked ahead with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
The three women followed behind, looking at the stalls as they walked.
Jenny gradually began to relax.
She was naturally cheerful; although she was embarrassed, she wouldn't keep dwelling on it.
Besides, she stole a glance at Roy's back in front of her.
He had said "very beautiful" earlier.
It wasn't in a teasing tone.
He was serious.
The corners of Jenny's mouth curled up unconsciously.